Setting: September 29th, 2003
TWs
Strong Language
Mental Illness
(1133 words)
Nyx POV
I walk down the stairs and into the living room, snatching the keys that were being played with in Alice's hands.
"Where are you going?" Zara asked, turning down the volume on the television and placing the remote on the coffee table that sat in front of her.
"I'm going to the diner, I took my friends morning shift. Do you want me to bring you anything when I get back? I will probably get back at around twelve." I tell her, unlocking the door and posting it open slightly, soon to walk out of.
"I'm okay, thank you." She told me, keeping her eyes on the television.
"You hadn't eaten in a while." I speak softly.
"I'm okay." She repeats, her voice sounding slightly more firm. I accept the answer and walk out the door, greeted by Júlia who was walking up to the door.
"Why are you awake so early? And why are you outside?" I ask before she can walk inside the house.
"I was talking to Diana." She tells me, then quickly walks inside, shutting the door softly behind her.
Diana was this girl that Júlia spends so much of her time with. But what I find weird is that nobody in the house has met or even seen a photo of Diana. She never comes inside the house, she doesn't have a phone, and Júlia is always at her house.
I didn't even see her when Júlia walked back inside.
Sometimes she talks about Diana at the table, trailing off about how wonderful it is to spend time with her, but none of us have ever spoken to her. But could I care less? Probably. I am twenty-one, why do I care about my sister's friend that is like fifteen?
Zara POV
Sitting silently on the couch with Alice, I am interrupted by the door being shut and a girl walking through the room.
"Why the hell were you outside? I thought you were sleeping." I ask Júlia. She usually likes to sleep in until one in the afternoon, probably due to the fact that they fall asleep at four in the morning. But it was now eight in the morning. Did a flip switch?
"I was talking to a friend." They told me.
"Cool. Are you hungry? Want me to make you eggs?" I ask, leaning up from the couch, making an effort to seem interested in making them food.
"I'm ok, thanks though." They speak, a slight accent in their voice. But I noticed that they were placing eggs into a pot of boiling water.
"If you just refused my cooking then why are you making your own food?" I asked.
"I don't know." They told me, dry, as usual. But I just ignored it, they were just tired, right?
"Do you want anything?" They asked, turning around and leaning their back against the kitchen counter. Her arms were crossed, not in annoyance though, they tend to keep them up there.
Before I could respond, we were interrupted by Ava walking down the stairs and into the kitchen with nothing but a shirt and panties on.
"Суп шлюхи." She said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and sitting at the dining room table.
"Lord." Júlia smiled. I was impressed by how many languages the people in this house could speak. I could only speak two, English and Urdu. Ava could speak three, English Russian and German. Stella could speak two, English and French. Nyx could speak two, English and Spanish. Júlia could speak five, Spanish, Russian, Hungarian, English, and Hebrew.
Júlia and Toby ask me if I can teach them Urdu, but they never have the time for the commitment.
Sometimes I forget that I was not born and raised in this house, in this country either.
Some nights I go to bed thinking I am still a little girl in Pakistan, living with my mom, my dad, and my younger sister.
I don't know why I keep my past so hidden from the rest of the people in this house. Nobody knows anything about Júlia except Brielle, Ava says that she can't put it into words, and then there's me.
About four hours passed, and I was sketching silently in my room with Toby. What I loved about Toby is that I can do anything with them, and we will both enjoy it without even saying anything. I actually am currently trying to get into Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, which is a college located here in Philly.
But all of a sudden, I hear a door slam downstairs. I could tell it was the back door, so it was someone here who lived in the house.
I quickly walk downstairs, greeted to Nyx angrily taking off her shoes on the kitchen floor.
"You okay?" I ask, walking closer to her so she is able to hear me.
"There is this girl that I keep having to give free tea to at the diner. She comes in every fucking day and she is literally getting on my nerves. She also found my Facebook and has been messaging me ever since we met." She told me in a hurry, unpacking the food that she got from the diner.
"How long has she been coming to the restaurant?" I asked as I sat down at the dining room table.
"For a month, and I know that doesn't seem too long, but she stays there for like two, sometimes three hours. Plus, she always asks for me. She always tells me she has no money to purchase anything since she is in college, so I always have to give her a free tea."
"Well you don't exactly have to give her anything really."
"I know, I would just feel bad saying no." She told me. I think I understood how she felt. Saying no to someone you don't necessarily know can make you feel guilty, make you feel bad for what you say to this stranger, especially if they are really nice.
Personally, I don't have a problem with saying no to people, but that could be different for Nyx and other people in the house.
"Well what does she talk about with you?" I ask.
"I don't know, everything that her mind trails off to."
"Alright, well you can tell me if she keeps bothering you." I offered, trying to make her feel better about this whole situation.
I walk back up to my bedroom and find Toby still sitting peacefully on my bed, scraping their pencil across the white piece of paper.
"Who was that?" They smiled, taking out one of their earphones.
"Nyx." I told them, picking back up my wet paintbrush from my damp piece of paper, continuing to draw my project.
I feel like nobody in this house gets a break.
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